Philippines polls: Activists stage 'Black Friday' protest against Marcos Jr's likely win

A day after Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son and namesake of an ousted Philippines dictator, announced victory in the presidential election, a group of activists who suffered under the dictatorship regime, staged demonstrations outside the Elections Commission's canvassing centre on Friday. Though the results will be declared officially on May 27, an unofficial count declared a landslide victory for the 61-year-old leader. If the results would remain the same as mentioned in the unofficial tally, Marcos will assume office by the end of June for a six-year term. Meanwhile, the Cagayan Valley activists and NCR-based groups have launched "Black Friday Protest" in several regions of the country, including the national capital, Manila.

Those who joined the protests condemned the possible return of another dictator to power. They raised slogans against Marcos and reiterated their clarion calls to defend the rights of farmers in the region. "A possible win based on a campaign built on blatant lies, historical distortions and mass deception is tantamount to cheating your way to victory. This is not acceptable," the anti-Marcos activist groups who were campaigning against the return of the Marcos and Martial Law told AP.

Recounting the regime of Marcos's father, Etta Rosales, a former Commission on Human Rights chairwoman, who was arrested and tortured during martial law in the 1970s, claimed that many women were killed and raped. She stated that the victims are still awaiting justice.  "I’m just one among the many who were tortured; others were killed, and raped. We suffered under the Marcos regime in the fight for justice and freedom and this happens," Rosales said. Notably, Marcos Sr. was removed by a pro-democracy revolution in 1986 over accusations of cruelty and corruption.

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During his tenure, it had been alleged that Marcos Sr and his family had accumulated enormous wealth when he was in power. However, refuting such claims, spokesman Vic Rodriguez stated that Marcos Jr.’s electoral triumph should be considered "a victory for democracy".  The spokesperson further added that Marcos Jr. has promised to seek common ground across the political divide. "To the world: Judge me not by my ancestors, but by my actions," Rodriguez quoted Marcos Jr. as saying. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping called Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday to congratulate him on his apparent landslide victory in the Philippine presidential election.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP